The new package supports IMAP4 and POP3, and additional support for
directory services through LDAP version 3, security features through secure
sockets layer (SSL), antivirus and antispamming capabilities, calendar and
other scheduling services, Palm Pilot and Windows CE synchronization, and
enhanced unified messaging capabilities. Oracle Internet Messaging is built
on the Oracle8 database and
Oracle Applications Server.

Along with targeting the business
user, Oracle joins a number of corporate messaging platform vendors trying
to tap into the growing market for ISP messaging and collaboration services.

Successful corporate email software vendors, like Microsoft, Netscape
Communications, and Lotus Development,
are having trouble duplicating that success in the ISP messaging and
collaboration markets, according to a recently
released report.

The report, released in August by International Data Corporation,
found that Internet service providers and telecommunications companies that
offer email
services to their subscribers are "overwhelmingly" choosing basic messaging
software, such as SendMail, ISP
messaging products by Software.com,
or their own homemade or proprietary systems, over more advanced software.

But Oracle executives expect success for their product in the ISP
market space because of the success of the company's database and
applications server.

"These two products are known in the industry. Add the messaging
solution to these, and [ISPs] have a very scalable and reliable product they
can use," said Raijan Das, group product marketing manager for Oracle's
Internet applications group. Unlike what corporate users are looking for,
"[ISP's] are looking for reliability and scalability rather than feature
rich," in the products they buy.

Kurt Christoferson, senior product manager for the Internet
applications group, said another edge the new Internet Messaging package
provides is strong unified messaging capabilities. "Everybody is looking to
expand their products and look at convergence. They see the Internet as the
way to do that."

He said with this release the company paid special attention to the
needs of the mobile user by integrating multimedia technology that allows
users to listen to their voice mail while using their lap-top away from
their phone. "We see the cellular system as an extension of the Internet,
and now we allow users to execute email transactions with their cell-phone.

The new Oracle messaging package also offers a PL/SQL and Java-based
development and integration environment, which allows corporate users to
integrate existing applications, like provision and billing applications,
with messaging technologies. Integrating applications like these allow
customers to use Internet Messaging as the platform to integrate and extend
existing applications, the company said.